06/03/2026
(This is Muz.) Derby High School earned medals Monday in seven events – including four relays -- at the CIAC Class S State Outdoor Track & Field Championship.
The boys’ team was led by the 4 x 400 meter relay team, which placed 3rd, as well as Joel Capelle’s 5th place finish in the 1,600 meters and a 6th place finish from the 4 x 800 meter relay team.
The boys’ finished 18th in the team standings with 13 points. Perennial powerhouse Bloomfield captured the team title with 159 points.
The girls’ team was paced by the 4 x 400 meter relay team, which placed 3rd; a 5th place finish by freshman Sasha Capelle in the 800-meter run; a 5th place finish by the 4 x 800 meter relay, and a 6th place from Melanie Fearon in the javelin. The girls registered an 18th place team finish with 17 points. Coventry won the team title with 61 points.
All four relay teams that scored for the Red Raiders proved themselves to be among the best in school history.
*The girls’ 4 x 800 team of Kezia Amartey, Sofia Rudus, Makaila Briscoe and Sasha Capelle covered the distance in 10:11.34 – the fastest time ever recorded by Derby in that event at the Class S Championship Meet and the 2nd fastest time on record for the Raiders. Only the 2015 Derby “dream team” of Gabby Prizio, Kiley Rodriguez, Nicole Rizzo and Rachel Fleischer has ever run faster with a time of 10:08.67 in the 2015 State Open. Those four girls, along with Sara Gerckens, formed the nucleus for outstanding cross country teams for the Raiders in that era.
*The boys’ 4 x 800 relay team of Jayson Drayton, Shane McAdams, Jayden McNeill and Joel Capelle, which placed 6th, crossed the line in 8:31.57. It was the best place and fastest time posted by Derby’s boys in that event since 2017, when the Big Red took home the gold medal behind Evan Sharpe, Tracey Gallishaw, Steven Stanley and Kenny Little.
*The girls’ 4 x 400 meter relay team of Makaila Briscoe, Ariana Davis, Alison Echeverria-Soto and Sasha Capelle finished in a time of 4:18.16. The quartet now ranks as the 2nd best all-time for Derby in that event.
*The boys’ 4 x 400 meter relay team of Shane McAdams, Jarell Williams, Jayson Williams and Quincy Carter registered a time of 3:28.65, which moves the group to No. 2 on the all-time list for Derby, according to records on the website athletic.net. The No. 1 ranked team was from 2018 with Ja’Kwan Hale, Kenny Little, Bevon McLean and Steven Stanley blazing a 3:23.46 in the 2018 State Open.
Individually, the brother-sister combo of Joel and Sasha Capelle both had outstanding performances. In addition to their success in anchoring their respective relay teams, both placed 5th in their individual events.
*Sasha ran the 800 in 2:22.81, which is the 3rd fastest time posted this season by a freshman in Connecticut (within the CIAC). She is ranked No.4 on the all-time Derby list of 800-meter runners, behind only Gabby Prizio, Cassie Silkoff and Kiley Rodriguez.
*Joel recorded a 1,600-meter time of 4:35.04. Later in the day, he set a personal record of 9:58.02 in the 3,200 meters.
*Melanie Fearon garnered a 6th place finish in the javelin with a throw of 87-feet, 10 inches. Melanie was seeded 17th out of 17 in that event with a previous best throw of 80 feet. But with a clutch performance, she bested that 80 feet mark in five of her six throws Monday to stun many of her opponents and take home a medal (awarded to the top 6 in each event).
Jose Rodriguez of Ansonia High School had an excellent day of his own, finishing 2nd in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.77 seconds for the Chargers. He also placed 5th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.12 seconds in the finals.
Jose, Sasha, the Derby girls’ 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 relay teams, as well as the Derby boys’ 4 x 400 relay team, will compete Saturday at the State Open at Willowbrook Park in New Britain. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
